Chapter 133: Thunder Punch and Dig
His level increased again, and he learned the Dark-type move, [Assurance]. If the target has already taken damage, this move deals double. It was a very practical skill. However, the type coverage for Dark-type moves is pitifully narrow, only hitting the two troublesome types, Psychic and Ghost. And in the real world, you don't run into those two types very often. So, learning Assurance didn't really solve the awkwardness of his current movepool.
Ken Sugimori, I swear... Will cursed the man in his heart.
Most of the early Pokémon were designed by him. The Grass type itself was already a contender for the worst typing in the game, resisting 3 types and being weak to 7. And of the nine Grass starters, he had designed three that were just a mess.
The weakest, without a doubt, was Johto's Meganium, a Pokémon that had been completely abandoned by the meta. The next worst was a toss-up between Decidueye and Sceptile. And Sceptile had only received a significant buff in the ninth generation. Look at when it was first designed: as a Grass-type, its only Grass move until Lv. 29 was Absorb. It couldn't even learn a third Grass-type move by leveling up. Who wouldn't want to give that designer a big thumbs-up?
And yet, this same Sceptile, upon Mega Evolving, was given the grandiose title of "The Grass-Type Pokémon with the Highest Base Stat Total!"
No wonder there isn't a single Grass-type specialist among the Champions or Elite Four. Anyone who could reach that level as a Grass-type specialist would have to be 100% pure skill, no fluff.
...
The sky gradually darkened. The little Lapras was already exhausted and nodding off, but she was too embarrassed to say so and just forced herself to keep going.
"Lapras, if you're sleepy, let's rest on that reef cluster over there. I'll keep watch," Will said, noticing her condition and pointing to some nearby rocks.
"La-praas," Lapras didn't refuse, quickly swimming into a gap between the reefs.
Will carried Sprigatito and hopped onto a relatively large rock.
"Meow~"
The sleepy Sprigatito opened her eyes. Seeing Will was still there, she closed them again in relief and went back to sleep, spread-eagled on the rock.
"You sleep too," Will said to the Lapras, patting her head. The cool, smooth texture felt nice. If Sprigatito saw him petting the Lapras, she'd probably get jealous again.
"La-praas," Lapras nodded, lowered her head, and was asleep in minutes.
Will didn't plan to sleep. He had already napped for three hours that afternoon and wasn't tired. Besides, he was worried some big, dangerous creature might sneak up on them, so he chose to stay awake. But he wasn't about to just waste this quiet time.
He patiently felt for the other types of energy within his body. The Grass energy was the most abundant, without a doubt. But the other energies had also begun to slowly accumulate. With Will intentionally suppressing his Grass energy to make way, his Electric and Psychic energy had finally reached a level where he could use a move.
"Let's try Thunder Punch."
Will clenched his fist, trying to mobilize the small amount of electric energy in his body. As one of his main damage-dealing moves as a Dragonite in his past life, Thunder Punch was extremely useful. It would also give him a way to counter Flying-types.
Bzz... bzz...
A faint static crackled around his right fist. He began to try to increase the output.
Crackle!
As a louder noise rang out, Will punched forward. ZAP! An arc of electricity flashed in the air.
"Success," Will nodded, satisfied. To succeed on the first try was very lucky.
"Cor-so?"
"Sola~"
"Cor!"
The sound of the electricity seemed to have lured out some Pokémon hidden among the reefs. A series of soft voices sounded from below. Will's expression tensed, and he looked around.
A few small, pink creatures were walking out from the sea.
"Corsola?" Will relaxed.
Corsola is a Water/Rock-type Pokémon. They are quite popular due to their cute appearance and gentle, energetic personality. In terms of kindness, their reputation was on par with Lapras's. The difference was, a Lapras would almost always try to flee a fight, but a Corsola would fight back immediately. They were full of life and very brave.
"Hello there~" Will said, relieved. The pink Johtonian Corsola were very easy to get along with. If these had been the Galarian form, they would be much more dangerous.
"Sola~" A brave little Corsola waddled closer to Will.
"Good evening. Do you live under these reefs?"
"Sola."
"Sorry, did I wake you?"
Will reached out and stroked the horn on the Corsola's head. This horn, also known as a coral branch, would grow back within three days even if it was broken off. When it basked in the sunlight, it would glow with seven colors and was very beautiful. Humans treasured these branches, even using them as protective amulets for pregnant women.
"Sola?"
"I'm practicing a move."
"Sola~"
The Corsola looked up, and as if remembering something, it smiled at Will. It then began to kick its little legs. In just a few seconds, it had dug a hole in the reef.
"Sola~"
"You... want to teach me?"
"Sola!"
"Thank you, I'd be happy to learn."
Will's face lit up. He had been planning to try and recall Agility next. But it seemed that would have to wait. Recalling moves could be done anytime, but the chance to learn a new one was rare. Especially an all-purpose move like [Dig].
The Ground-type move Dig was used very frequently in the anime. From rookie battles to the big leagues, it was everywhere. That's because it was both offensive and defensive, and could be used to create openings. In the wild, it could also be used to escape danger.
"Sola."
"Sola~"
The other Corsola, seeing that Will wasn't a bad guy, also cautiously approached. They tried to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake Lapras and Sprigatito. And then, a scene that warmed Will's heart occurred. The four Corsola who knew the move began to demonstrate it for him, while the other two, who didn't know it, began to practice along with him.
Two or three hours passed, and Will hadn't made any progress.
"This Ground-type energy... I won't be able to learn this in a short time. But at least I can understand the principle," he said, looking at his hands. The problem was his energy. Celebi had drastically enhanced his body's talent for Grass-type energy, but in doing so, it had suppressed the growth of other energy types, making it very difficult for him to learn moves of other types.
"Sola," the Corsola came close, gently encouraging him.
"Thank you," Will said, rubbing the little one's head. "Oh, right, wait a second."
He ran to his backpack and took out a biscuit tin.
"Sola?" The six Corsola gathered around, curiously looking at the tin.
Will opened it. Inside were the colorful macarons. "These are called macarons. They're a human dessert." He took them out and gave one to each of the Corsola. He hadn't been willing to eat them because they were a gift from Sola, and he had only shared them with a few people. But these Corsola were so kind and cute, and most importantly, willing to teach him. He was happy to share with them.
"Sola~" The Corsola, tasting this kind of food for the first time, all lit up, exclaiming how delicious it was.
"Haha, good, right?" Will looked down at the now-empty tin. He didn't feel it was a waste at all.
"You know, you could try to interact with humans. You're all so cute, they'd probably bring you lots of good food," Will suggested. Becoming a human's Pokémon was a much more comfortable life. Even if they ended up with a bad person, they would probably still be cared for. But, if they got a Trainer like Paul or Trip from the anime, they might be in for a rough time.
"Sola?"
"Human society is pretty peaceful. There aren't many battles anymore. And they won't eat you. What era do you think this is?" Will chuckled.
Humans do eat Pokémon, that was true, but that was in the Era of Primal Beasts. The Pokémon League had already begun to prohibit such things. The only one who still had to worry was Farfetch'd. That Pokémon literally came with its own ingredients. It had been hunted so much that it was almost extinct.
"Sola."
"But you still have to be careful. There are bad people, too. You have to be able to tell the difference. Observe them for a while before you decide."
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